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Age Guide5+
MPAA RatingG
Year1994
Runtime1h 28m
StudioWalt Disney Pictures
DirectorRoger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Cast
Matthew BroderickJames Earl JonesJeremy IronsMoira KellyNathan Lane
AnimationAdventureFamilyDrama
The Lion King
1994
A young lion prince flees his kingdom after the murder of his father, only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.
Content Guide
⚔️
Violence & ScarinessMild
Violence & Scariness
💬
LanguageNone
Language
👀
Sex & NudityNone
Sex & Nudity
🍷
SubstancesNone
Substances
😱
Frightening ScenesMild
Frightening Scenes
💚
Positive MessagesExcellent
Positive Messages
⭐
Role ModelsStrong
Role Models
What's in this movie
- •Villain murders a parent on-screen
- •Stampede scene may frighten young children
- •Brief peril and fighting
🌍 Cultural & Representation Concerns
Moderate
- •Set in Africa with no African human characters — the entire human cast is replaced by animals, leaving the continent's people invisible in their own story.
- •The hyenas, voiced primarily by Black and Latino actors (Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin), are portrayed as dim-witted criminals living in poverty and exclusion from the Pride Lands.
- •Scar, the villain, is given a noticeably darker coat and uses a more effeminate affect compared to the heroic lions — an 'othering' device scholars have linked to racial and queer-coded villainy tropes.
- •Scholars have noted the hyenas' characterization maps onto longstanding stereotypes associating people of color with crime, disorder, and the underclass.
Educational Value
Explores themes of responsibility, grief, identity, and the circle of life. Great for discussing loss and growing up.
💬 Pause & Talk — Discussion Topics
- 1.How does Simba feel when he loses his father?
- 2.Why does Simba run away? Was that the right choice?
- 3.What does it mean to 'remember who you are'?
🏆 Awards: Academy Award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (Can You Feel the Love Tonight)